The Dangers of New America - Second Sin City
New America has been defined as a wasteland, a death zone, and is a free-fire zone for the local bandits. We, the survivors, try to stay alive. Most of us end up dead each day. The NAAF, New American Armed Forces, and NSAF, New Special Assault Forces, have been deployed to Kentucky and Ohio because of the "tense relationship" they have been having. Of course, with the local militia in the area, the two sides will be fighting, making it worse. Chapter One (Raniero) He sat atop a car, one leg pleated, the other supporting him. Bringing his mulch ridden coffee cup of muddy water to his dried lips, he quivered as he gulped down the muck, barely holding it down. Survival, it was a harsh existence, but it was necessary for survival. Eyes half veiled by slumberous russet, like the brownest water downed with the mists of mud in his cup. Eyes like a very dark dirt. Defiant in its stare none the less, he let the rest of the muddy water spill as he upturned his cup, dropping it on the bonnet as he retrieved his conflict knife. Strong slashes across the grit of the bottom of the cup sharpened the blade out of its dullness. He sheathed his blade, shook his cup of its final drops, and refit his gas-mask atop his craggy stubble. Broken, exhausted, fatigued; like a man who has been ploughing all day long for a supper and a welcome sunset. Instead, supper was swapped with radiated water, and all the sunset brought was frostbite, numbness and death. Ever since the apocalypse, the night cycle has been completely destroyed and shortened; nights are eight hours long and are below living temperature; to the point where humans die of hypothermia in only twenty minutes of exposure. The city is all in turmoil; it boils like a pot stirred by anger and desperation. He cannot sleep either, as the radiation has saturated his body, leaving him in too much pain to fall asleep, the kind of pain that no remedy can repel. Mendes remembers his clean water he once had in his gunnysack; clean water is scarce. Once a scrounger pick pocketed the bottle from him, he caught him but let it go, but he is now forced to drink the irradiated water so he does not die of thirst. Mendes knows that since he gave the man his clean water, he has, effectively, reduced his own survival chances. That is selfless altruism. Chapter Two (Sapphire) The Traveler, as he called himself, stalked through old, burned down forests. He'd been across the Wasteland a few times, a veteran of the harsh new world. Now, he was back in the state he'd been in when the nukes hit. Kentucky. He was going back to Ohio and up into Michigan to see if he could find any supplies, then he'd head back to Kentucky. He and his small group of four, including himself, were from a group known as the "Kentucky Marauders", and they were the veterans of the Apocalypse. The Traveler had come across them a few times on his runs, one ended up in a small gunfight. He would lead them up into Michigan and get them back with supplies. The dirty, tired, and battered veteran lead the small team of four out of the open. Now, it was game time. They loaded their weapons and headed into the boarder of the two states, which, was always a danger zone. The Traveler saw a small shack and took the group to it. They would be there for the night. The Traveler sighed, and upon taking them to the shack, one of the group complained, but the Traveler said: "It's for survival". They went in. The Traveler, also know as Mike, sat down on a ruined chair and sighed. He looked through his pack: AK ammo, M9 ammo, some food, and barely any water. He looked around, and then put his pack down and took out a blanket it the front of his pack and put it down. One other laid out a blanket as well, and the other two just sat on the floor. He saw one drink the last of his water. What a waste, he thought. They still had days to go. Then he thought of his water, the only water he had. Then he had to drink the contaminated, dangerous water. He did not look forward to that. He then sat atop his blanket. The tired, dirty, batten and challenged Traveler then layed down. Chapter Three (Raniero) The wind gale stung his arms as he quickly collapsed onto the rubble below him, where he tied down his sleeves with recycled string and paper bag remnants. He was writhing amongst the debris with an intensity that burnt like a steady flame, scuffling his screams beneath his gas-mask. The burns will scar him like a serpent's sting, glazing his skin for life. He had not realized the strength of the winds that day, and has payed the price for it. " " He muttered as he applied some dirt to his swelling and blistering, dulling the pain slightly. His uniform of old was tattered, dirty and strung together barely. He rummaged through the pockets of his gunny sack for his old pack of cigarettes; he took one and placed it between his fingers, trying to decide whether to smoke it or not; after all, when Elise found out she was pregnant, he promised her to quit smoking and drinking. He did not want to break that promise. He kept the packet as a reminder of his old life, before the apocalypse, before his family died whilst he was away. "Oooh, don't suppose you got a light for that" he heard behind him. Too late to turn, he blindly reached for his sidearm, but all he saw was a bat with the side of his eye a last split second before blacking out. “Got seven tanks up ahead. At least thirty foot tangos.” a voice shouted, echoing, deafening. The person sliding beside him, as he realized that he was in his old squad. "Mendes is still shell-shocked sir!" The smaller one said, jittery. Everyone laughed. Except for him. “We’re going over the top in ten seconds. If he is not up then leave him. We rush for that debris right there.” Sarge ordered, pointing at a tall piece of concrete close to the trench. Everyone loaded their weapons, and readied. “Go!”Sarge yelled, surging over the top and rushing for the debris. Everyone followed him shooting at the Sino-Russian forces. Some die like flies, others shoot back. Taking cover in the trenches, he got to his feet, desperately wanting to join his squad again. Lifting himself over the trench groggily, he half ran toward them, but they were then engulfed in flame and mortar, sending Mendes over into the trench, unconscious. Chapter Four (Sapphire) It's still freezing cold as they pack up and go. The Traveler can't tell what time it is, but he feels as if the sun will welcome them in the hours to come. Instead of waiting, they go in the night. Now, they wait in the brush, then stalk towards a town. Knives and guns in hand, they make their way into it, but come out empty. As daybreak comes, they warm up. Now in the border, they cross carefully, and at one point run into a NAAF patrol. Barely hiding, the soldiers pass and they move on. They soon make it to Ohio and head to Cincinnati, if it's still there, for a chance for early supplies. Though, they have to rest in an old, abandoned motel. The dirty, dusty, filthy beds look like home sweet home after the long waits and the freezing cold. They suspect no one is inside, and they're right, for the most part. The man on guard wakes the team up to the sound of talking. They silently move out of view. A few minutes pass and, still on guard, they reluctantly sleep, until woken up again to the sound of coughing. Not one of their own, this time they move to the source of the noise. With knives and guns, they eventually find a young man and a kid. The kid is sick. They can hear that as the young adult paces the room. The Traveler, whose name is Mike, knows that there is only one way to live the Fallout. He cocks his M9 pistol, and tells the others to fire. The pair notice and turn around just as the group fires. Mike fires two shots at the kid, while the others focus on the guy. Outraged the kid died, one member of the group yells at Mike and the others. When Mike admits to shooting the kid, the angry man attacks him. When the two other members of the group try to break up the fight, Mike fires three shots into his attacker. With the blood of their friend on Mike, they decide to leave him. He tells them that they'll die travelling without him, but they don't listen and start the long trip back to Kentucky. Mike, still in the motel, loads his AK47 and shoots the deserters, and in five shots, he gets both of them. After looting them, he still continues the trip. Layering up as much as possible, he steps out in the cold. The cold tears at him. He moves quickly, for fear the Mutants will attack the motel because of the gunshots. He quickly moves. At dawn the next day, his hands were badly frostbitten and he had a terrible ear infection, but he made it. He made it to the outskirts of Cincinnati City. Category:Post Apocalypse America